Sunday, June 8, 2008

What Shall the Pens do?

Fleury is an RFA. Orpik is a UFA. Roberts, Malone, Hossa are UFA's. Not to mention several other 3rd and 4th line UFA's whose values have gone up significantly because they ventured into the forbidden kingdom of the stanley cup finals. Remember all the players that got overpaid elsewhere the year after the flames went to the finals? Next season the Pens have to worry about signing Malkin, Staal and Talbot which will influence their signings this summer.

The Pens Gm has plenty of work to do this summer. He can either resign some of his top free agents this summer at the expense of potentially losing Staal or Malkin next summer. Or he can let Hossa walk, and bring in a new UFA on a one year contract thus being able to sign Malkin and Staal next year.

What would the Pens Gm look for in a player that would be willing to sign a large one year contract?

-He would have to be older to provide leadership to the young pens team.-Even though possibly being washed up, he would have to have show some flashes of brilliance in the past few seasons. The Pens don't want another Leclair or Rechi. Playing with Crosby should bring out the best in any older player.-He might have had past ties with the older Pens organization that Lemieux was a part of.

I have made a list of UFA's that might blend will with Pittsburgh, given the possibility of Hossa's departure. The players with stars next to their names have played for Pittsburgh before. The players with exlamation marks have attitude problems.